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Biggles in Africa/plot
Chapter 1: A Pilot Passes Motorcycle magnate Felix Marton wants to look for his son Harry who has disappeared while on a flight in Africa while trying to break a flight record. Colonel Raymond recommends Biggles. Marton had done his own research and had found a witness, a hunter named Major Lawton who had sighted a red monoplane gliding down towards Insula, an unused Imperial Airways landing ground which a Greek tobacco company had leased. Biggles agrees to take on the job and he, Algy and Ginger head out for Africa. Chapter 2: Down the African Trail Our friends arrive in Insula in a De Havilland Dragon. The caretaker at the landing ground Luke Sarda is not very welcoming. He denies that any aircraft had passed through for more than six months but Biggles knows he is lying as he has seen a fresh patch of oil near the hangar entrance. Chapter 3: An Unpleasant Passenger The next morning Biggles plans to take Ginger on the first aerial search while Algy remains behind. However they discover a black mamba coming out of their aircraft cabin and beat a hasty retreat to the guest house where they kill it just in time. Biggles is certain the snake has been planted by someone but still continues the flight. Coming back, Algy tells them he heard Sarda speaking to someone. Biggles spots a wire and thinks Sarda might have a telephone. He and Algy distract Sarda while Ginger sneaks into Sarda's office to look for it. Ginger comes back with startling news. He picked up the phone. There was someone at the other end: Harry Marton! With an urgent call for help! Chapter 4: Sinister Developments They now make a big show of taking off together but Biggles stays behind in hiding. After a long wait, a Puss Moth lands at Insula. The pilot walks with Sarda to the rest-house where they start going through Biggles' belongings. Biggles interrupts them. The pilot introduces himself as Leon Leroux, working for the Stampoulos tobacco company. He makes some excuses and flies off. Biggles can see that the Puss Moth is painted black but where the paint has scraped off, there is red underneath. After Algy and Ginger returns, Biggles takes Algy to trace the phone wire, leaving Ginger to watch the Dragon in the hangar. The wire heads due west so, after a while, Biggles decides they can continue the search by air. They return to Insula but then hear the Dragon taking off, and Ginger is gone! Chapter 5: Alone With a Lion What happened was this. Back at Insula, Ginger settles down to a long watch over the Dragon in the hangar. Night is falling when he hears Sarda and another man approaching. The man gets into the Dragon and begins to start it up! Ginger has no choice but to steal into the cabin. The pilot turns out to be Leroux. He flies the Dragon to a repair and storage depot and disembarks. Ginger gets off, still undetected, and is inspecting the ground in order to take off in the Dragon when Leroux comes back and flies the Dragon off, leaving Ginger stranded. Ginger spends an uncomfortable night with a lion nearby. Chapter 6: Sarda Strikes Biggles and Algy spend the night wondering where Ginger has gone to. At dawn, Sarda offers them some milk for their coffee but it turns out to contain dope. Biggles and Algy collapse on the floor and then Sarda sets fire to the rest-house. Chapter 7: Ginger Comes Home In the morning, Ginger prepares for a long walk back to Insula but then he spots a black Puss Moth at the depot. He takes off in it but the engine gives trouble and he has to force land three miles short of Insula and walk the rest of the way. He arrives just in time to see Sarda in the act of torching the rest-house. Taken by surprise, Sarda flings a knife at Ginger, cutting his cheek. Ginger, reacting instinctively, pulls out his pistol and shoots him dead. Ginger then drags Algy and Biggles clear of the burning rest-house. He fetches some water and pours it over their faces before he himself collapses. Chapter 8: Savages After all three of them have recovered, Biggles decides to walk out to the Puss Moth, fix it and fly it back--that being their only remaining form of transportation. They reach the aircraft and begin repairing the engine. However they are soon confronted by a group of some twenty natives, led by someone who they will later learn is named Chola. Chola tells them the aircraft belongs to his master but Biggles isn't buying any of it and sends them packing with his rifle. Chapter 9: Biggles Sums Up The Puss Moth is repaired and flown back to Insula. There, Biggles decides that they must hide all the available fuel, oil in case the landing ground gets attacked, something which must surely happen sooner or later. Meanwhile Algy spots some antelopes and decides to hunt one for meat. Chapter 10: Algy's Antelope Hunt Out on his hunt, Algy spots a party of natives led by a white man (whom Biggles later thinks must be Stampoulos) heading towards Insula. A sleeping leopard nearby causes Stampoulos to shoot earlier than expected, losing him the element of surprise. Algy is also forced to shoot at the leopard, which almost falls on top of him, before beating a hasty retreat to the landing ground. The shots had alerted Biggles, who readies the Puss Moth. Algy gets onboard the aircraft and they manage to take off before the attackers reach them. Chapter 11: Crashed by a Rhino Biggles is for going to Karuli--Sarda had mentioned that as the name of the Stampoulos plantation--but night is falling so he accepts Algy's suggestion to stop by at the repair depot first. Unfortunately, the Puss Moth is crashed by a rhino shortly after landing. All the fuel and food from the depot has also been removed. Chapter 12: The Snake in the Grass After an uncomfortable night, Biggles and co. are forced to make a long trek across the African wilderness towards Karuli. There's the usual brush with various wild animals and Biggles and Algy end up getting caught in the coils of a python. Chapter 13: What Next? They make it to a large river but the only way to cross it is by an old, ramshackle canoe. Battling the currents and hundreds of crocodiles, they make it across but find themselves outside Limshoda and are captured by the natives of that village. Chapter 14: Ordeal by Fire The natives are far from friendly. They tie up Biggles and co. Chola comes to gloat and tells them they would shortly be sacrificed to the crocodiles soon. It is almost all up/ Fortunately Collison, a British officer, arrives in time with a force of Askaris. But he doesn't have rescue in mind: he is there to arrest Biggles for the murder of Luke Sarda! Chapter 15: Biggles Speaks Up Biggles surmises that Leroux must have "reported" them to Collison to get them out of the way. But he persuades Collison to listen to his side of the story. Biggles adds that he now suspects Stampoulos to be growing hashish at Karuli--the smell of the drug was in the Puss Moth. Collison is convinced and they agree to join forces for a raid on Karuli. Chapter 16: The Round-Up Biggles and co. go with Collison and his troops to Karuli where they catch Stampoulos, Leroux and Chola in the act of attempting to whip Harry Marton. They arrest the villains and free Harry. Hemp is found growing among tobacco plants and there are packets of hashish in the Dragon. Our friends fly Harry to Malakal. Colison comes along with Stampoulous and Leroux as prisoners Chapter 17: In Conclusion Harry is reunited with his father at Croydon. The joyful father invites Biggles and co. for a reunion dinner at the Savoy. Category:Plot summaries